Now open your wallet wide, very wide

In an effort to bring in more consistent revenue, some dentists are introducint dental maintenance plans, with regular payments for annual cover. But are they good value?

IF YOU HAVE been in a dentist’s surgery recently, it’s likely that you will have seen the impact of last year’s decision to reduce state-funded dental services at first-hand. Since the Government pulled back on its benefits, dentists have seen the volume of business decline significantly. This has put pressure on them to find ways to encourage their patients to pay for what is sometimes considered a non-essential expense.

Rather than drop prices, however, dentists are turning to other ways to facilitate patients, such as introducing dental maintenance plans. But are they good value for consumers?

Dental maintenance plans have been popular in the UK for some time and are available at some practices here too. The plans enable patients to spread the cost of their dental treatment over a year, paying on an annual, or monthly basis by direct debit.

The introduction of such plans obviously benefit dentists. They provide a steady cash flow and allow them to budget their annual income. For consumers too, they have advantages, enabling them to pay a little every month, thus avoiding being stuck with a huge bill unexpectedly.

At Absolute Dental Care in Carlow for example, a plan is available for €22 a month, or €264 a year. This covers the cost of two check-ups, two visits to the hygenist, a 20 per cent discount on all dental fees. The children of patients can be covered for €80. That fee covers two check-ups a year, a 20 per cent discount on dental fees and free fissure sealants as required to help prevent tooth decay.

In Dublin’s docklands, IFSC Dental Care offers a plan for €12 a month, or €144 a year. This covers the cost of two check-ups, two hygiene appointments, as well as other benefits such as a 10 to 15 per cent discount on routine dental treatments and two X-rays.

At Boroimhe Dental Practice in Swords, Co Dublin, a plan costs from €12.50 a month, and it includes two dental examinations a year, two hygiene appointments, small X-rays, and a 20 per cent discount on treatment not covered under the plan.

Another way of trying to keep dental fees in check for your family is to take out a specialist insurance plan.

The VHI offers two such plans: Dental Starter priced at €10.43 a month, €125.16 a year; and Dental Plan, which costs €17.96 a month, €215.52 a year.

Under Dental Starter, you can get cover for up to €750 of dental charges a year, including 70 per cent back on examinations, 70 per cent on hygiene appointments, up to a maximum of €42, and 70 per cent on X-rays, up to a maximum of €31.

Potential customers should be aware, however, that a three-month waiting period applies to basic treatment. So, if you need to get a filling, you will need to wait three months before you will be entitled to get 55 per cent of the cost back, up to €55, or to get that tooth that has been bothering you out, 50 per cent of the charge, up to €40.

Under the more expensive plan, you can get 100 per cent cover for yearly examinations and cleaning, and 70 per cent back on the cost of fillings, sealants and extractions – again after a three-month waiting period.

But is paying for your dental expenses in advance through a maintenance plan or an insurance policy really worth it?

While both options appear to adequately cover day-to-day dental expenses, there is no allowance for not taking up the services. So if you feel that one dental examination a year is sufficient (and after all this is still covered under the PRSI scheme), you will find yourself paying extra to cover an additional visit that you may not need.

Also, although a regular visit to the dentist can be expensive when the cost of fillings, etc, are factored in, it is the more expensive types of treatment that people really fear, particularly since the tax relief available to be claimed was reduced to the standard rate of tax in recent years.

However, there is only limited cover for these under the various options. For example, while treatment for crowns and root canals can run into the thousands, only a 20 per cent discount is offered under many maintenance plans, while some actually exclude such treatment from their cover.

When it comes to insurance, the VHI offers 40 per cent back on root canals under its Starter plan to a maximum of €245, or 55 per cent on its Dental Plan – but there is a 12-month waiting period for both these benefits.

In addition, there is a cap on the amount that can be reimbursed on both of the VHI’s plans – €750 in the case of the Starter Plan and €1,500 on the Dental Plan.

Similarly, while the VHI’s Dental Plan offers one emergency worldwide dental visit a year, this is also subject to the benefits cap of €1,500. So if you have a problem in the US, for example, you couldn’t expect this cover to go very far.

Emergency dental cover is also available under many maintenance plans, at a more generous limit than the VHI – but at an extra charge.

So, before you look to plug the gap left by last year’s decision, consider the options carefully and check out what cover you may be receiving already if you have a private health insurance policy.

For example, Quinn’s HealthManager policy offers 50 per cent back, up to a maximum of €510, on emergency dental care; and 50 per cent back on one non-emergency visit a year, up to €25.

What dental benfits are you entitled to?

Annual costDental plan: about €150; VHI dental insurance: €125-€215

Dental examDental plan: 2 free a year; VHI dental insurance: 70-100% reimbursed

HygieneDental plan: 2 free a year; VHI dental insurance: 70-100% reimbursed

FillingsDental plan: 20% discount; VHI dental insurance: 55-70% reimbursed